EL PASO, Texas -- According to the El Paso Diabetes Association, about 85,000 El Pasoans are diabetic, 25,000 more haven’t been diagnosed, and the numbers continue to rise.

Kelly Hayes doesn’t have diabetes, but injects herself twice a day because of her high-risk pregnancy. She contacted KFOX after she said neither her pharmacist the city would give her a straight answer on how to properly dispose of her syringes.

She recently moved to El Paso, and said that in Phoenix she was able to drop them off in a hard container at any fire station.

Richard Adams with Solid Waste said unlike hospital medical waste, which needs to be processed before dumping, household medical waste can be disposed in the household gray trash container.

“What we recommend is putting them in a puncture proof container like an old bleach container or something that has a screw on cap preferably, or an old coffee metal can. If it doesn’t have a screw-on cap, make sure you tape it,” he said.

“A milk container? If something hit it hard enough it could just pop right out of the container and that's medical waste. If someone had, for goodness sakes, HIV or hepatitis and somebody stepped on that, they’re sick," said Hayes.

Adams said the puncture-proof container is to prevent someone from being hurt if they have to handle the trash. He also recommends not using a glass container because it can break.

Every state has its own laws when it comes to disposing of household medical waste.